Conventional instrument clusters used in vehicles today commonly include analog gauges (i.e. a gauge motor moves a pointer or needle) to convey information or a characteristic of the vehicle such as the speed of the vehicle. Instrument clusters may also include electronic or digital displays which can be used to display additional information or characteristics in the form of text or graphics (e.g. warning messages). Because instrument clusters are increasingly display a myriad of information, it may be desirable to employ reconfigurable displays that, for example, are capable of showing navigation information in one instance and showing vehicle diagnostic information in another instance.
While electronic displays are advantageous in instrument clusters, it is still beneficial for a vehicle driver to be able to monitor characteristics of the vehicle in which the instantaneous value and rate of change are both important. These characteristics include, but are not limited to vehicle speed and engine RPM. Although digital displays can recreate what a mechanical gauge looks like, many vehicle buyers still prefer to see mechanical gauges. Therefore, display assemblies used in instrument clusters may include transparent displays or combinations of analog gauges and electronic displays. Other uses of such display assemblies having transparent displays include gaming machines, which also may include features or objects located behind the display.
In one example, the display assembly includes a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) that is transparent. A self-emissive display that is also transparent is disposed adjacent to the LCD. A graphics processing unit is used to control the LCD and the self-emissive display. Features or objects are disposed behind the LCD and may be selectively viewed or blocked.